The exemplary & well-traveled cornetist Kirk Knuffke introduces a bold new trio—with bassist Michael Bisio and pianist Matthew Shipp—on the intimate & expansive double album Gravity Without Airs, which features the three world-class musicians on Knuffke’s compositions and in open form, together creating a tour-de-force of poetry and verve. This is Knuffke’s debut as a leader for TAO Forms, following his integral work on James Brandon Lewis/Red Lily Quintet’s Jesup Wagon, one of the most acclaimed jazz releases of 2021. (It was voted Album of the Year in the JazzTimes Critics Poll and the international Jazz Critics Poll established by Francis Davis.) Accolades for the cornetist’s own recent work as leader include NPR’s Jazz Album of the Year laurel for 2017’s Cherryco, his homage to Don Cherry, a prime influence. DownBeat praised the way that album showcased Knuffke’s “nonchalant versatility and ebullient melodic gifts,” while esteemed critic Francis Davis called it “nothing short of spectacular.” 

“Kirk plays as if his cornet is a part of him – he plays with it, not just on it.” —Francis Davis

“One of modern jazz’s most skilled navigators of the divide between inside and outside, freedom and swing.” —All About Jazz